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7 Lip and Cheek Tints That Make Minimal Effort Look Good
Take it from us: Your beauty routine doesn’t have to be complicated. Editors and makeup artists swear by multi-use beauty products like lip and cheek tints to save time, money, and effort, and create cute monochromatic moments. “I always carry one in my makeup bag because they are instant pick-me-ups,” says makeup artist Suzy Gerstein. Other perks? The textures are super creamy, so you can easily apply them with your fingers when you’re in a rush. Plus, some formulas are packed with skin-care ingredients that boost that dewy glow and keep your skin looking fresh all day. To help narrow down your (seemingly endless) options, we’ve rounded up the best lip and cheek tints of 2025 for your shopping pleasure.
Our Top Lip & Cheek Tints
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Frequently Asked Questions
Best Overall: Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush
Why it’s worth it: Tower 28 Beauty’s BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush is a winner for its natural, lightweight finish and effortless blendability. It melts right into the skin, making this buttery formula foolproof to apply. Los Angeles-based makeup artist Hailey Hoff is a fan of its sweet, juicy sheen and balm-like texture, which she notes is buildable, so you can keep it sheer or dial up the color. Either way, your skin looks lit from within and your lips plump. Bonus: The formula is packed with skin-loving ingredients like aloe vera and green tea extract to hydrate and soothe.
Tester feedback from commerce editor Sarah Han
“BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush didn’t win an Allure Best of Beauty award for no reason. This cream tint melts into my skin like a dream and the color is super buildable when I use a brush (my preferred method). Just like the rest of Tower 28’s lineup, it’s infused with skin-loving ingredients that leave the dewiest finish. I’m obsessed! The names are so cute, too! Happy Hour, After Hours, Party Hour—how can you not be enjoy picking out a shade every day?”—Sarah Han, commerce editor
- Key ingredients: aloe vera extract, green tea extract, castor seed oil
- Shades: 9
Most Hydrating: Chanel N°1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm
Why it’s worth it: Chanel always gets it right, and the N°1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm is no exception. This buttery balm adds a chic and subtle touch to bare faces and soft-glam looks alike, thanks to nourishing and barrier-protecting red camellia oil. The oil helps deliver softness and vibrancy, all while boosting the overall creaminess, resulting in plumper-looking lips, a convincing flush, and a bevy of compliments. For a more concentrated hue on your cheeks, Chanel recommends using a concealer brush, like the round end of the Les Pinceaux de Chanel Retractable Dual-Ended Concealer Brush N°105.
“I love a multipurpose product that can make my life easier and lip and cheek tints are definitely at the top of that list. No. 1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm has a buttery, red camellia oil-infused formula that easily transfers onto the pad of my (clean!) ring finger so I can dab away on my cheeks and lips. Even though it’s a tint, shades like Berry Boost don’t disappoint in the pigmentation category—I’m left with a pretty flush that I can apply and blend out with just my fingers.” —Angela Trakoshis, shopping market editor
- Key ingredients: red camellia oil, candelilla wax, vitamin E
- Shades: 9
Best Stick: Jouer Blush & Bloom Cheek & Lip Tint
Why it’s worth it: This blush stick is a total underdog in the world of cream blushes, and it deserves more hype. The formula is ultra-creamy, thanks to hydrating ingredients like jojoba seed oil, rosehip oil, and shea butter, so it glides effortlessly across cheeks and lips. The shades are universally flattering (think a cool rose and a soft lavender), and during testing, our editors found that no matter how many layers you apply, it never looks overdone. Plus, it’s teeny-tiny—easy to stash in your bag and swipe on without making a mess or taking up space.
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“This is hands-down the creamiest blush stick I’ve ever used. Usually with these melty formulas, I feel like the color barely shows up, but this one is different. It’s dreamy and smooth, but still gives me just the right amount of color to look alive. Plus, it actually lasts all day, which is rare. There aren’t a ton of shades, but the three they do have all have a rosy undertone that will work on most people.” —Lily Wohlner, commerce writer
- Key ingredients: jojoba seed oil, rosehip oil, shea butter, squalane, vitamin E
- Shades: 3
Best Multipurpose: Jones Road Miracle Balm
Why it’s worth it: Gerstein loves Jones Road’s Miracle Balm for its “great range of shades that works across a wide variety of skin tones” and “user-friendly texture.” The 2022 Best of Beauty Award winner is the definition of no-makeup makeup, nicely reflecting light, yielding a perfectly sheer pop of color, and moisturizing all the while with jojoba seed oil, grapefruit seed oil, and castor oil. Some hues are shimmery for a highlighter effect while others are matte for a natural-looking flush, so choose accordingly. There’s also a colorless shade complete with a sheer opal finish for a lit-from-within glow.
“If your skin is dull, dry, and needs some waking up, you absolutely need this product. Miracle Balm is truly a miracle in my kit—I can use it anywhere on my face for instant life. Yes, life. It’s like video game mana for your face! It adds a natural wash to the skin and doesn’t skin into fine lines or accentuate my pitted acne scars. My preferred color is this red-bronze Tawny, so I always look like I’m back from a beach getaway. The colors are buildable, comfortable, and so goof-proof that you really don’t need a mirror to apply them.” —Shanna Shipin, shopping director
- Key ingredients: jojoba seed oil, grapefruit peel oil, castor oil, mica
- Shades: 12
Best Cooling: Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint
Why it’s worth it: Stateside beauty brands are finally catching on to Korea’s jelly blush trend—those Jell-O-like blushes packed with skin-care ingredients and a sheer, dewy tint that mimics a natural flush. Milk Makeup’s Cooling Water Jelly Tint is one that lives up to the hype, and the best part? You don’t even need a brush, as it blends seamlessly with just your fingers. Aside from its satisfyingly bouncy texture, the formula includes vegan collagen, aloe, and seawater to hydrate and cool the skin, making it especially refreshing for summer. It’s a fun twist on your usual lip or cheek enhancers, and packs a powerful punch of color that actually lasts all day.
“These squishy jelly sticks are my secret to monochromatic makeup that looks, for lack of a better word, natural—as in, if you’re careful with their full-force pigment, you can totally convince people you’re not wearing makeup at all. That’s thanks to their watery texture and neutral finish—it gives the effect of a sunburnt flush rather than a powdery, filtered glow.” —Nicola Dall’Asen, senior news editor
- Key ingredients: vegan collagen, aloe, seawater
- Shades: 7
Best Long-Lasting: Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain
Why it’s worth it: Makeup artist Alexa Persico is a big fan of Benefit Cosmetics’ Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain for its sheer, rose-tinted hue, which is “suitable for all skin types.” She tells Allure: “It glides smoothly on the lips and blends on cheeks easily and lasts for hours.” The result? A “vibrant flush of color that looks like you just got back from the beach,” Persico adds. The tint can also be applied as a lip liner, as shopping market editor Angela Trakoshis previously shared. “Instead of applying this stain all over my lips, I use it as lip liner and it literally creates the most beautiful flush of color that lasts all day with zero transfer.” Seriously, it won’t smudge.
“I waited way too long to try this viral product and it’s viral for a reason. I use one coat on my lips and let it sit for about 15 seconds before going in with a tissue to take off the excess. It gives the ideal pop of pink on my lips without looking like I’m wearing lipstick and it’s completely weightless with no sticky residue. My jaw was on the ground after my first use that it looked so natural. On my cheeks, I do one to two coats for a perfectly flushed look —three dots across my cheekbones blended out with a Beautyblender.” —Kassidy Silva, social director
- Key ingredients: squalane, citric acid, lecithin
- Shades: 6
Best Glowy: Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Blush Healthy Glow Stick
Why it’s worth it: Charlotte Tilbury’s Lip & Cheek Glow Cream Blush & Lip Tint is a two-in-one multitasker that delivers creamy, buildable color with a radiant finish. It’s packed with skin-loving ingredients like antioxidant-rich raspberry leaf extract, moisturizing glossy esters, and beeswax to leave skin soft and smooth. It glides on easily and stays put, offering a transfer-proof radiant flush that lasts. Of course, it fits right into Charlotte Tilbury’s iconic Pillow Talk collection, complimenting all its other pinky-nude products like a dream. It’s also available in a range of brighter or bronzier colors if you’d rather opt for those instead.
Tester feedback from senior director of audience development Lexi Herrick
“I love, love, love this blush stick. It’s quickly become one of my favorites. The hyaluronic acid makes it so smooth and hydrating, whereas many blush sticks grip roughly onto my cheeks. This glides on gently and blends beautifully. The Peachy Glow shade is everything to me.”—Lexi Herrick, senior director of audience development
- Key ingredients: vitamin E, raspberry leaf extract, mica, beeswax
- Shades: 7
Frequently Asked Questions
What sets lip and cheek tints apart?
Lip and cheek tints are distinguished by their versatility, ease of use, and rich color output. “Since they’re typically in gel, cream, or liquid forms, [lip and cheek tints] bind to the skin easily without too much buildup on the skin, whereas traditional blushes could leave a powdery finish on the skin, depending on the formula,” explains New York City-based makeup artist Neil Scibelli. He adds that they’re also usually on the sheerer side compared to traditional lipsticks, so they give the skin a natural, watercolor-like tint.
How should I choose a lip and cheek tint?
As you shop for the best lip and cheek tints, you’ll come across various formulas, including balms, liquids, gels, and creams. While Persico says liquid formulas offer a “long-lasting flush” and a “more natural finish,” she also notes that cream formulas are “easier to work with” because of how easily they blend.
When choosing a color, consider your skin’s undertone. Warm tones should go with a yellow-based color, whereas cool tones should go with blue-based colors. And if you don’t know where you fall on the undertone spectrum, “colors that are universally flattering undertones are rose, peachy, and berry tones,” says Scibelli. “If you’re not sure, I’d suggest going for a color that isn’t too pigmented on either undertone. I also decide on how to choose the tint by the amount of pigment in it.” He suggests that people with light to fair skin tones reach for a sheer, pink pigment, whereas people with darker complexions should opt for a more pigmented formula.
What ingredients should I look for in a lip and cheek tint?
“Lip and cheek tints are really evolving and typically contain skin-savvy ingredients that also hydrate the skin,” Scibelli explains. “If you’re looking for that dewy, skin-like finish, especially if you have normal to dry skin—then hydrating ingredients in these tints are going to be your best bet.” If you’re on the oily side, he recommends going for more of a gel-like formula (hi, Milk Makeup) or a stain like Benefit’s. Regarding specific ingredients, Scibelli vouches for coconut oil, castor oil, hyaluronic acid, aloe, and watermelon extract.
Meet the experts
How we test and review products
Before reviewing any makeup, we ask questions about a number of factors: What ingredients are in it? Does the brand offer a wide shade range inclusive of consumers with all skin tones and undertones? Is it safe for readers who have sensitive skin or wear contact lenses? Is it on the affordable side or more of a splurge? Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful?
For our review of the best lip and cheek tints, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, cosmetic chemists, and professional makeup artists to review the products. This ensures our testing base spans different skin tones, genders, and dermatological conditions. We considered each product’s performance across four primary categories: ingredients, wear and longevity, packaging, and inclusivity. For more on what’s involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
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